Making a Hot Wire Foam Cutter | 3D Printed & Basic Tools

This is a simple handmade machine I designed and built in order to cut foam or polystyrene. The theory behind this device is really simple: A thin nichrome wire is connected to 12 V DC using a DC power regulator. The current flowing through the wire turns it really hot (it glows in the dark). Then, pushing a piece of foam or any similar material causes it to melt, leaving a perfectly clean cut. In order to build it I used 3D printed parts, basic tools and some materials that you can find in any hardware or